Workforce Solutions Guide [Innovative Solutions To Everyday Challenges] Part 2 1/15
Control costs. Meet deadlines. Improve productivity. Capitalize on opportunities. Manage resource constraints. Build morale. Stay focused. Reduce hiring costs. Minimize employment risks. Test new ideas. What do these things have in common? In a nutshell, they re all examples of the kinds of never-ending, and seemingly contradictory, challenges we all face every day in the business world. And these are all issues that can be resolved with a strategic approach to staffing. In an effort to meet these objectives, visionary companies are revolutionizing the concepts of organizational structure. And in the process, they re harnessing the power of their staffing function to achieve extraordinary results. As a strategic tool, staffing can help you to: Increase productivity Convert fixed labor costs to variable Improve focus on core business activities Enhance your ability to adapt to changing market conditions Meet project and seasonal demand Manage employment risks And of course, improve your profitability Want to learn from proven leaders? Then consider the strategic staffing techniques being used to solve everyday challenges at today s most progressive firms. 2/15
About This Guide In this guide you ll find 21 secrets to great staffing results. Discover our insider s tips to get the best employees and consistently achieve exceptional results from your temporary employees and staffing vendors. Best practices for great staffing results. Great staffing results don t happen by accident. They occur when smart people, like you, invest in creating a process that works. To make the process work for your business, consider these best practices for guaranteeing success. 3/15
Get Great People, Everytime Staffing Tip #1 Temps need job descriptions too! Job descriptions should be well defined, prioritized, current and submitted in writing to your staffing firm. They should include your expectations in terms of candidate abilities and experience along with specific performance goals and standards. Staffing Tip #2 Behavioral traits count When defining jobs, consider the personality traits that will make someone successful, and use those traits as part of your hiring criteria. Staffing Tip #3 Make jobs desirable The market for talented people is always tight. So the more appealing you can make the job, the better. With temporary jobs, pay is most important, but it may not be everything. Flexible schedules, training, full-time opportunity, and other benefits can be compelling. 4/15
Staffing Tip #4 More lead time equals better candidates Give as much lead time as possible when placing orders with your staffing provider. This will optimize your chances of finding an ideal candidate for the assignment and may give you more than one suitable candidate to choose from. And when lead time isn t an option, let your staffing vendor know which skills and traits are most critical for the assignment. Staffing Tip #5 Be mindful of cut-rate deals People are your organization s most important asset. And that should include temporary employees. Treat temporary staffing as an investment, not an expense. Cheaper is not better. The last thing you want is the cut-rate service that typically accompanies cut-rate pricing. Go with a staffing firm that takes the time to fill your needs correctly. Staffing Tip #6 Train your service representative Educate your staffing service representatives on your organization s mission statement, goals, culture, history and performance expectations. Tell them what types of work styles or personalities will fit best in your organization. Familiarizing your representatives with your company s needs and preferences helps the staffing firm to become a more knowledgeable extension of your human resources department. 5/15
Staffing Tip #7 Take full advantage of your staffing vendor s resources Invest a little time to learn about your staffing vendor s full range of capabilities, so you can take maximum advantage of their resources. A good vendor can not only provide qualified candidates, staffing flexibility and cost savings, but can also offer a great deal of staffing expertise and employee relations support. To get a complete picture, request a tour of their facility or a capabilities demonstration. Staffing Tip #8 Set clear expectations Establish mutually agreed upon expectations for interaction with your staffing supplier at the beginning of your relationship. This can include development of an order-placing procedure, appropriate quality control checks and feedback methods. Setting expectations can ensure clear communication and expedient service. Staffing Tip #9 Benchmark performance Find out what type of tests candidates are required to take at your staffing firm. When candidates are referred to you, ask what their test scores are. Establish preferred scoring levels for placements within your company (you might even ask to have one of your internal employees tested to give you a benchmark for performance). In addition, encourage your temporary employees to take advantage of training available at the staffing firm. 6/15
Staffing Tip #10 Provide feedback Maintain an ongoing dialogue and honest relationship with your staffing firm s service representatives. Keep them abreast of changes in your company. Give them useful feedback on their service and the performance of employees placed. Meet regularly to discuss ideas to enhance communication and improve the service process. Staffing Tip #11 Create a partner in your success Consider involving a staffing firm in your company s business planning. For example, you might include your staffing representatives in an annual meeting to plan staffing strategies. They can offer insight regarding the possible uses of strategic staffing to meet your needs for workload variations, new hires, and managing attrition. They can also offer valuable market data to help with compensation planning and employee retention. 7/15
Staffing Tip #12 Reward results While all staffing firms provide similar services, they are not created equally. High quality staffing firms focus on more than filling orders. They want to help you save time, save money, and make it easier to find the qualified people you need. When you find a vendor who does a great job, look for opportunities to enhance the relationship. Invite them in. Challenge them to help you solve problems. And see what you can do to reward their good results. Not only will you make your top vendor happy, you ll increase their commitment to your success. Staffing Tip #13 Make your future needs known Staffing companies interview many applicants for similar positions. Be sure to keep your representative aware of changes within your organization, and tell them to keep their eyes open for you. Staffing Tip #14 Seek return engagements If you are especially pleased with temporary employees, let the staffing firm know! When possible, they can schedule these people for future assignments. Repeat temporary workers can be hard to get, so allow as much lead time as possible. To help tip the scales in your favor even further, let top temporaries know that you value their effort. Positive encouragement makes them want to return. 8/15
Get Great Results From Every Employee Performance Tip #1 Offer an orientation To minimize the start-up time for temporary employees, work with your staffing supplier to create a custom orientation program. Provide company brochures, annual reports, or orientation videos to share with temporary employees. Also, provide directions to your facility and an overview of your company s policies and expectations. Performance Tip #2 Provide adequate training Arrange on-the-job training for specific systems, machinery, and operating procedures. Ask temporary employees to practice software skills by using the training your staffing service offers. 9/15
Performance Tip #3 Set clear expectations Define job duties at the start of every assignment. Whenever possible, provide a written description of job functions. This will allow contingent employees to log their activities and go on to new tasks more independently. Manage temporary employees as you would full-time personnel. Set goals, performance measurements, and task deadlines. Work with your staffing partner to hold contingent workers accountable for performance. Performance Tip #4 Encourage teamwork Don t treat temporaries as temps. The biggest complaint among temporary employees is how they re treated. Make them feel like part of the team, and they ll give you 100%. Make contingent employees feel included. Where it makes business sense, ask them to participate in meetings, training, incentive programs, and other team-building opportunities. Be sure to include them in relevant communications. Performance Tip #5 Provide a challenging environment Encourage contingent workers to beat performance standards set by other employees. Ask them about their skills you may discover additional strengths and capabilities. Then provide temporary employees with stimulating assignments to increase the likelihood that you ll retain them. 10/15
Performance Tip #6 Provide performance incentives To reduce turnover for particularly mundane assignments, talk with your staffing firm about offering small completion bonuses. Financial [and even non-cash] incentives can be great motivators - and they don t have to cost a lot. Performance Tip #7 Maintain healthy communications Provide feedback while performance expectations are being established especially during the first few days on the job. Encourage co-workers to help out during the early days of on-the-job training. Ask for input. Contingent employees can offer fresh eyes to spot problems that may be too close for you to see. Be approachable. Let contingent workers know you re available to answer questions. And don t ignore core employees make sure they understand that temporaries aren t a threat. 11/15
Create a Winning Environment By putting these ideas into practice, everyone comes out a winner. You ll get better results from your staffing effort, your contingent employees will have a fulfilling work experience, productivity will improve, and your core employees will be happier and less stressed and so will you! From temporary staffing to direct placement, our services have been specifically designed to provide real solutions to your everyday challenges. Our workforce augmentation solutions include: Supplemental staffing Fill-ins for support and professional personnel Project specialists Temporary employees for seasonal and peak workloads Strategic staffing Planned staffing On-site staff management Single source management 12/15
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